According to The Asahi Shimbun recently, a boom in Japanese granola production has led to new varieties being created with ingredients such as green powdered tea and tofu added to broaden the products’ appeal.
Japanese food makers are targeting their granola products at a wider range of customers, such as children and elderly people, by making their products more nutritious.
Domestic production of granola has multiplied six-fold over the last five years. According to the Japan Snack Cereal Foods Association, the production of granola products was worth 36.9 billion yen (US$340 million) in 2015, about six times that for 2011, when it was worth just 6.1 billion yen.
Working with tofu manufacturer Sagamiya Foods Co., Calbee Inc. began marketing a tofu variety of granola in the Kanto region on March 11. Calbee also intends to expand its production facility in Utsunomiya-city by the end of April.
“We will win over elderly customers who are very conscious of their health,” said Akira Matsumoto, chairman and CEO of Calbee, referring to the company’s move.
On March 14, Nissin Cisco Co. also released new granola products including ones containing 10 percent more fruit than conventional products and featuring “Uji maccha” green powdered tea.
Kellogg Co. is another big name to join the trend, and the cereals giant has begun selling a tastier and more nutritious granola product aimed at children.